As of Thursday morning, there were 280 sex offenders in Fayette County, and six were not in compliance, according to

the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Kathy Witt said some addresses are visited every day. Those who are incompliant

are usually not living at the addresses listed for the individuals. Witt received and skimmed the ruling Thursday morning.

"I haven't had time to digest the whole thing," she said, adding that she planned to look it over and decide how to proceed

.State Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Shively, lead sponsor of the bill, noted that the Supreme Court decision doesn't strike down

the entire law, only a provision of the law.Jenkins said the law still helps protect children, as it was meant to do.

But she said it's also important for parents not to rely on the sex-offender registry because most children are abused

by a family member or family friend."We still need to look after our personal safety and the safety of our children,"

Jenkins said.Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, who also sponsored the bill, said he was disappointed and surprised by

the decision."Our focus was not to penalize anybody," Damron said. "Our focus was to provide protection to potential

victims of sex offenders."He said the date a sex offender was convicted is irrelevant."To say that I'm disappointed

is probably an understatement," Damron said.In October 2006, authorities in Fayette County began knocking on doors

and arresting sex offenders who were in violation of the law. At the time, there were 256 sex offenders in Fayette County,

and 180 were expected to move.Most of them were living in older, urban neighborhoods inside New Circle Road.

Downtown Lexington was virtually off limits to sex offenders because of the number of prohibited areas.The new law

included playgrounds in the list of prohibited areas whereas the former law only prohibited offenders from living near

day-care centers and schools. The new law also measures the distance from a property line instead of the center of

a property.Many registered sex offenders in Fayette County who owned homes for years were upset about being forced

to move because of a law enacted after they committed and served time for their crimes.Sex offenders across the state

took their concerns to court only to receive varying opinions from judges.Michael Baker, who entered a guilty plea to a

third-degree rape charge in March 1995 in Kenton County, challenged the new law on several constitutional grounds and

asked the court to dismiss charges that he violated the residency law.Kenton District Judge Martin J. Sheehan ruled that

the law was punitive and not regulatory, and violated the ex post facto clause in the U.S. Constitution. Kenton District

Court granted Baker's motion.The issue was sent to the Supreme Court to determine whether the law was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court, however, disagreed with Kenton District Court that the General Assembly intended for the law to be punitive.

The Supreme Court said state legislators intended for the law to be a "civil, non-punitive regulatory scheme,"

according to the ruling.Still, the residency restrictions are "so punitive in effect as to negate any intention to deem them as civil."_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________IN Supreme Court Nixes Retroactive Law jconline.comIndiana court limits sex offender residency law. Indianapolis –

Convicted sex offenders who lived near schools or other places frequented by children before a state law

restricting their residency was enacted in 2006 would not have to move under a ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The court ruled this week that the residency law violated the Indiana constitution by retroactively punishing Anthony W. Pollard,

a Blackford County sex offender who died in December.Pollard had owned his home in northeastern Indiana for about

10 years when he was convicted of a sex offense against a child in 1997. He was then charged in January 2007 with violating

the 2006 law that prohibits convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, public park or youth program

center.The state Supreme Court decision said the residency law prevents a sex offender from living in his home even if

he bought it before the law took effect and even if a school or youth center moved within 1,000 feet of a home where he

already lived.“Although the statute does not affect ownership of property, it does affect one’s freedom to live on one’s own property,”

Justice Robert Rucker wrote. “A sex offender is subject to constant eviction because there is no way for him or her to find a

permanent home in that there are no guarantees a school or youth program center will not open within 1,000 feet of any given

location.”Bryan Corbin, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, which handled the appeal, said a staff attorney

interpreted the ruling to apply only to offenders who were charged, convicted and sentenced before the residency

law was enacted.The decision was the latest by the state Supreme Court to find that certain laws regarding state

oversight of sex offenders violate the Indiana constitution’s ban on laws punishing people for acts that were legal

when they were committed.In April, the court overturned a man’s conviction for not registering as a sex offender

because he had already completed a sentence for child molestation before the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act was passed._________________________________________________________________

I guess this is the most important point of this website, with all other information educating you to see, understand, and use the education provided you to increase the safety of all children.

It is insane to concentrate and be educated on only about 10% of those who would do harm to your child. It is insane to pass laws which would make you and your children LESS safe. Yet we continue to do this, over and over again. I believe the reason is that so few people know the truth. We watch the news, the television programs, and listen to our Politicians, all of whom have an agenda of keeping you afraid and looking at only a small portion of the whole pie that would hurt your child.

We are beginning to see some media admit that over 90% of child molestations are committed by family and close trusted friends, but in the next breath they are telling you to keep an eye out for Registered sex offenders and NOT telling you WHO you should be keeping an eye out for and why

Lets take a look at what some victim advocates have to say on the matter.